In what was an absolutely enthralling game of Test cricket, Temba Bavuma-led South Africa booked their spot in the World Test Championship 2023-25 Final, which is set to take place at Lord’s in June, 2025.
On that note, here are four reasons behind South Africa’s close win over Pakistan in the first test:
1) Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma’s knocks of maturity and responsibility
South Africa’s two most senior bats in the side did not let them down. Pakistan’s pacers were not at their best in the first innings, but still reduced South Africa to 66-3, courtesy of a Khurram Shahzad special.
A couple of quick wickets from that point could have put South Africa in a spot of bother, despite the fact that they bat really deep. The fourth wicket stand between Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram really caused a shift in momentum.
From a point where it looked like Pakistan would have a chance to be able to restrict South Africa under 200, this stand added 70 runs to South Africa’s tally, drifting the game away from Pakistan’s grasp.
Aiden Markram was the pick of the batters. It looked as if he was batting on a different pitch altogether, punishing anything even marginally loose. With 15 beautifully-played, elegant-looking boundaries, he raced away to 89 runs, falling only 11 short of what would have been a well-deserved ton.
His judgment of lengths was absolutely immaculate as he creamed away anything that was overpitched.
He held one end firmly in the second innings as well, staying at the crease for almost 24 overs and keeping South Africa in the chase. It was vital for South Africa not to lose early wickets on Day 4, and Aiden Markram ensured exactly that.
Temba Bavuma chipped in with a handy 31 and 40 in both innings, and was crucial in stabilizing the proceedings for South Africa. South Africa’s skipper has been in stellar form in Test cricket lately, and Temba Bavuma continues to lead this fairly inexperienced South African batting lineup from the front.
2) Corbin Bosch’s dream introduction to Test cricket
The phase where Pakistan actually allowed the game to slip out of their hands was Corbin Bosch’s knock down the order. Playing his first ever Test, he played a knock that even the top-order batters would be proud of.
Temba Bavuma’s side still trailed by 20 runs when he came in to bat, and with just three wickets to go, Pakistan would have sensed a quick collapse.
However, on debut, Corbin Bosch put up a show whilst batting with the tail. He was finding the fence almost every single over, and scored 81 invaluable runs for his side.
At that point, it seemed as if Pakistan had mentally lost the battle. From a position where they were two wickets away from bowling South Africa out with South Africa having a lead of just 2 runs, to a position where they ended up conceding a 90-run lead, it couldn’t possibly have gone worse for Pakistan.
In the first innings, prior to his magnificent batting display, Corbin Bosch also took four wickets with the ball in hand. He struck with his first delivery in Test cricket, dismissing Pakistan’s skipper – Shan Masood.
This is what dreams are made of, and he couldn’t have asked for anything better than this sensational Test debut.
3) Dane Paterson’s five-wicket haul in the first innings
Touring South Africa is never easy for any subcontinent side, and 35-year old Dane Paterson made things tougher for Pakistan with his exceptional 5-fer in the first innings of the game.
He took five massive wickets, including the scalps of Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman.
He continuously bowled in the corridor of uncertainty, at a tempting, but undriveable length, and delivered an absolute peach to get rid of Saim Ayub.
Babar Azam and Kamran Ghulam threw their wickets away, but it also had to do with the pressure Dane Paterson was building by bowling economical overs one after another.
He quickly adjusted his length to get rid of Agha Salman after the Pakistani all-rounder decided to advance down the track off his bowling.
This spell set the tone for Temba Bavuma’s side. Getting the wickets of Mohammad Rizwan and Agha Salman was particularly important because these two have been Pakistan’s crisis men in Test cricket over the past couple of years.
If they spent some time on the crease and got their eyes in, they could probably have led Pakistan to a score that was north of 250, which would further spice things up towards the back end of the match.
4) Kagiso Rabada’s nerves of steel
South Africa’s main man with the ball – Kagiso Rabada – delivered one of the most exceptional new-ball spells in the first innings of the Test. However, what overshadowed his bowling in this Test, was his remarkable batting performance.
Pakistan being Pakistan, came back into the contest from nowhere. Chasing 148, Temba Bavuma’s men went from 96-4 to 99-8, with the game marginally tilting towards Pakistan post this collapse.
In came Kagiso Rabada, with his side needing another 49 runs to win, having the luxury of losing only a couple more wickets. What followed was something extraordinary, something astounding. It is known that Kagiso Rabada is capable of delivering a few meaty blows, but he played a proper match-winning knock of 31 runs, showing way more maturity than what an ordinary tailender would.
He seemed unfazed by the occasion, and soaked up all the pressure with five boundaries – all five of them being superb cricketing shots that were cracked to the ropes.
With Mohammad Abbas making the ball dance, Kagiso Rabada probably realised that defending around would neither add runs to their tally, nor would it help them survive for too long. He played an exceptional hand, making his unbeaten 31 runs the third-highest individual score from a number 10 or 11 batter in successful Test run-chases.
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